Oman and Egypt are example of Arab relations

Muscat: Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Foreign Minister described Oman-Egypt relationship as ‘an example of the Arab-Arab relations’.

In an interview with Al Ahram Al Arabi, Sayyid Badr said that His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik sees President Abdul Fattah el Sisi as a brother, a friend and a strong partner on only on the bilateral level but also on the wider Arab and international levels.

The foreign minister added: “There is no minimal doubt about the Sultanate of Oman’s commitment to the joint Arab action, hoping that the visit of the US President Joe Biden to the region in the middle of next month will have a positive impact and fruitful results on Arab-American relations.

Sayyid Badr stressed that the Palestinian cause lies in the exchange of land for peace, the implementation of the Arab initiative and the establishment of the Palestinian state.

The foreign minister welcomed the Egyptian private sector to develop new projects, enhance trade between the two countries and open new horizons.

Asked about the Omani diplomacy’s ability of communication with all parties whether in the region or outside, the minister said: “Let’s take two issues in this context the first is the negotiations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. Reaching a positive outcome in this file, through dialogue, will represent a great gain for regional and global peace, security and stability. Everyone will benefit, and there will be no losers. As for the second issue, Yemen the human suffering in this Arab and brotherly neighbour country is enormous and the losses are heavy and every Yemeni will benefit if the current ceasefire leads to lasting peace.

There is no doubt that building on the solid political relations between the Sultanate of Oman and Egypt requires all of us to push forward cooperation between the two countries in all vital economic, cultural and other sectors. In light of the visit of President Abdul Fattah el Sisi of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Sultanate of Oman and the very positive and fruitful talks that took place with his brother His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, the next phase will witness initiatives and projects that are aimed at developing more opportunities for trade and investment between the two countries and various fields of cooperation and partnership, the minister said.

Asked about the agenda of the Sultanate of Oman at the Climate Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, the minister said: “We hope that the Sultanate of Oman along with the international community will contribute to achieving zero carbon emissions. We are optimistic about the promising future of the Sultanate of Oman and the Arab Republic of Egypt in the field of clean and green energy. Both Oman and Egypt have great potentials in terms of land, sunlight and wind as well as their proximity to major shipping lines. I believe that these huge potentials will be a very important factor in the economic future of both countries.”

I believe that with Egypt’s presidency of the Climate Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, the international community will announce more commitments to speed up the efforts of the scientific sectors to face the remaining technical challenges and this encourages more utilization of the full potential of green hydrogen, the minister added.

Asked about the successful experience of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and how to maximize the benefit from this experience, the minister said: “We should continue working collectively and focus on international cooperation and developing the shared infrastructure such as the railways, roads and pipelines to enhance interdependence between all the Arab countries. This is in addition to promoting bilateral trade and investment. We share very deep relations at the cultural and social level. Above all, we are all Arabs, and this in itself represents an important basis for the security, cooperation and well-being of our peoples. There is no doubt that our commitment to joint Arab action will not be shaken.

In response to a question about the compressive solution following the success of Yemen’s truce, the minister said: “We believe that the approach proposed by the United Nations envoy for Yemen is a good one and we fully support it. Our vision for peace in Yemen lies in the formation of a comprehensive national government that interests the interests of all the stakeholders in Yemen. The bottom line is that peace in Yemen and its future is a strategic decision that is taken primarily by the Yemenis themselves and it cannot be imposed from outside”

Asked about how to achieve a greater rapprochement between the Arab countries to confront the current challenges, the foreign minister said: “We should work to strengthen our collective cooperation on the basis of (no harm) and this mission must be consistent and sustainable. I think, in particular, it is very useful to enhance the virtue of listening to each other’s concerns, especially those with whom we may disagree on some issues and orientations.”

In response to a question about the changes facing the unified procurement of wheat, the foreign minister said: “We should cooperate, and help each other as far as possible, I personally think that the unified procurement of wheat may not necessarily be beneficial as it may lead to the emergence of new bureaucratic obstacles. It may do more harm than good. But, rest assured that we are constantly reaching out to friends and neighbours to enhance and share our sources of food security.”

Asked, there is no place for neutrality in today’s world and whoever is not with us is against us.

Do you agree with these approaches to describe the current international situation?

The foreign minister replied: “I disagree with this opinion. There is certainly a vital place for neutrality in today’s world. The mentality of ‘He who is not with us is against us’ is an unhealthy and unhelpful notion that must be completely rejected. We believe in and practice positive neutrality and the building of the collective interest. It is our duty to keep the channels of communication open in order to be able to communicate with all parties. We also strongly support the United Nations and the rule of international law, respect the sovereignty of all its members, and respect their sovereign decisions, whether we agree with these decisions or not.”